School Time
Antarctica is an extreme environment. In order to work and live here, there are lots of trainings we need to attend. On Saturday we spent most of the afternoon in trainings and went to more this morning.
United States Antarctic Program scientists and staff watch a presentation about protocols as part of their training.
Safety in Crary Lab
On Saturday we started with a tour of the lab we work in. The Crary Science and Engineering Center was built in 1991 and named after Albert Crary, a polar geophysicist and glaciologist.
The Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center on Beeker Street in McMurdo Station hosts a wide array of scientists.
Crary has three “phases” or sections where scientists have lab space. Phase 1 hosts Biology and Chemistry projects (where our team is), Phase 2 hosts Geoscience research and Phase 3 has an aquarium and wet labs. A “spine” down the middle of the building connects the phases.
Michelle Brown stands in front of her lab team's office inside the Crary Buidling.
There are many science projects taking place in Antarctica, and therefore a lot of safety requirements to know about. David Chu, a manager of the Crary Lab, gave us a tour to point out safety hazards and protocols. Wearing proper protection and disposing of chemicals correctly are important, both in a science classroom and a science lab. David also pointed out eyewash stations, emergency showers, fire blankets, fire extinguishers and other safety features in our lab and throughout the building.
David Chu points out safety features and regulations in the Crary building to Andrew Klein, Terry Palmer, Carl Green and the rest of the research team.
Chemistry in the Water
David pointed out a “Milli-Q” water purification system not suitable for drinking water. The Milli-Q purifier creates pure water. The water we drink and use is not pure. Aside from having dissolved minerals in it, the water is also ionized, or electrically charged.
The Milli-Q water purification system creates pure water, which is harmful to drink.
It is harmful to drink completely pure, un-charged water because we need these ions to function. If we were to only drink completely pure, ion-free water, the ratio of ions in our body would be lower and it could cause problems. Next time you see a Milli-Q purification system, don’t confuse it with a Brita!
Outdoor Safety
After our lab tour, we went to a safety training course to ensure we could survive outside in an emergency. After discussing the risks and how to respond to them, we got some hands-on training with the equipment in a survival bag. A survival bag is a big red bag filled with emergency gear for two people, which is taken on trips away from the station.
Bill McCormack shows scientists and staff how to use a survival bag during a safety training.
What objects would you include in a survival bag? Post your answer in the Ask the Team section. The response that is closest to what is in our survival bag will receive a postcard from Antarctica!
A big part of being safe is staying warm and eating food. As part of our training, we practiced setting up tents and learning how to light a camping stove.
Sarah helps us set up a tent as part of our safety training.
Michelle Brown practices lighting the Whisperlite Stove as part of her safety training.
Sea Ice Safety
Since our team will be going out on the sea ice to collect samples from the sea floor, we also participated in a sea ice training class. Tides, winds and moving ice shelves create cracks in the sea ice. The vehicle you are in, the length of the ice crack and the ice thickness determines whether or not it is safe to cross the crack.
During sea ice training class, we discuss which vehicles can cross a crack in the ice.
If we see a crack in the ice while we are traveling, we must stop and inspect it. We may need to drill holes to determine the depth to make sure it is safe to cross.
Class Question
Mr. Sisk and his students at Pasco High School in Pasco, Washington are curious about some aspects of Antarctica for a report they are writing. Here are some interesting questions and answers about life and work in Antarctica:
Q: Does Ms. Brown have wifi?
A: Yes! Since I am based out of McMurdo Station, I have access to the internet. However, if I was going to a remote field camp, where lots of Antarctic scientists are located, I would only have access to the outside world through a Satellite phone, or perhaps radio. These are much harder to use. The South Pole Station also has internet usage but only when satellites peak over the horizon. Green bands on local screens let everyone know when they can go online.
Q: Why do scientists care about Antarctica?
A: Scientists care about Antarctica for many different reasons. Some scientists are here to study the local plants and animals — from penguins to seals to small sea creatures and algae. Astronomers come here to collect meteorites — they are easy to spot on the white ice, or use the South Pole Telescope. Many scientists come here to study topics connected to climate change. Ice cores contain Carbon Dioxide records going back 400,000 years and melting glaciers are monitored and studied to better understand the effects of climate change on the ice.
Ice POD
Today's Ice POD is about safety in the lab. Compare safety in your science classroom with safety in a science lab in Antarctica!
You can download the PowerPoint slide here: 6_icepod.pptx
The Ice Picture of the Day shows lab safety at Crary.
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